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Behavioral vs. Psychometric Tests

When it comes to improving teamwork, there’s no shortage of assessments on the market. From personality frameworks to strengths-based profiles, each promises to help organizations understand people better. But not all tools are designed to answer the same question—or deliver the same kind of results.

Psychometric vs. Behavioral Assessments

When organizations look for tools to understand people and improve teamwork, they usually encounter two broad categories: psychometric and behavioral assessments.

  • Psychometric assessments (such as MBTI, DISC, or Big Five) measure aspects of personality, cognitive style, or preferences. They help explain who we are—our underlying traits, tendencies, and ways of thinking. These tools can be valuable for self-awareness and personal development.

  • Behavioral assessments, on the other hand, focus on what we do. They measure how people actually behave in specific contexts—like contributing to a project, leading a meeting, or collaborating in a team. Because behavior is flexible and can adapt depending on the situation, behavioral assessments are especially useful when you want practical strategies to improve performance.

Both types of tools have their place. Psychometric tests provide insights into personality and potential. Behavioral tools show how those insights translate into real-world actions and outcomes.

Belbin: A Behavioral Approach to Teamwork

Understanding behavior means moving beyond theory into application. While personality and strengths tools can spark self-awareness, Belbin shows how those insights translate into everyday teamwork—who takes the lead, who generates ideas, who keeps projects on track, and how the mix of roles affects outcomes.

Belbin identifies the roles people play in real work situations, showing how strengths combine—or sometimes clash—within a group. This practical, behavior-based approach makes Belbin especially valuable when the goal isn’t just self-awareness, but building stronger, more effective teams.

Personality vs Behavioral Assessments

Quick guide
Dimension
Personality Tests
Behavioral Tests
Purpose
Measure relatively stable internal traits (preferences, temperament, style).
Measure observable behaviors in context—how people actually operate in teams and work situations.
Focus
Describes who you are and why you tend to behave a certain way.
Describes what you do, how you contribute, and impact on others.
Method
Primarily self-report questionnaires.
Often combines self-report with observer/360° feedback and situational context.
Change Over Time
Relatively stable; profiles are mostly static.
Adaptable; behaviors can shift with role, team, or goals.
Output
Profile of traits or styles (e.g., introverted, analytical, dominant).
Practical roles/strengths picture for collaboration and delivery.
Use Cases
Self-awareness, communication training, career guidance, sometimes hiring.
Team development, leadership effectiveness, performance & collaboration improvement.
Examples
DISC, MBTI, Big Five, Enneagram
Belbin Team​ Roles, Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs), 360° feedback/behavioral ratings, assessment center exercises
TL;DR
Why you behave that way.
How you behave—and how it affects results.

Bringing It All Together

Each assessment has its place—some explore personality, others highlight individual strengths. Belbin focuses on behavior in context, showing how people actually contribute to teamwork. By identifying nine distinct Team Roles​, Belbin helps leaders and organizations move from awareness to action, building teams that are more balanced, collaborative, and effective.

Whether you’re considering your first assessment or adding to your existing toolkit, Belbin provides the clarity and practical strategies to help teams succeed.

👉 Download a sample Belbin Report or book a short call to explore how Belbin can support your organization.

Trusted by the Teams Who Can’t Afford to Miss

Belbin has been trusted by global organizations for over 35 years—including Fortune 1000 companies who know performance isn’t about personality, it’s about team chemistry.

It’s not just theory—it’s the Gold Standard in team dynamics.

“Belbin gave us a framework we didn’t even know we needed. It changed how we collaborate.”

— Director, Global Strategy, Pharmaceutical Company

See the Team You Have. Build the Team You Need.

Curious how your team would map out? Let’s walk you through it.

In just one session, we’ll show you how a Belbin assessment works, what your Team Collaboration Map could look like, and how we help close the Interaction Gap—without personality labels, fluff, or guesswork.

Let’s start with a conversation.







Lindsay Lalla

Lindsay Lalla is the VP of Marketing and Client Support for Belbin North America. Most recently, she has been spearheading the introduction of the Belbin Team Role methodology into North America. Lindsay is a skilled facilitator, and also runs the Belbin Accreditation classes where she certifies others in the Belbin method.
Lindsay’s formal education is in instruction and performance. Combined with her 17 years of adult education experience, she brings a depth of understanding in how to deliver the highly experiential workshops that are a hallmark of the Belbin North America approach to education and organizational development.

Patrick Ballin

Patrick offers more than 25 years of experience with some of the most successful businesses in Europe as a consultant, change manager and executive coach.

He has helped many well-known organisations to get their ideas and projects off the ground by working with business leaders and their teams to optimise interaction, strategy and execution.
Patrick was Global Head of Supply Chain and Logistics Development for The Body Shop, an international retailer of ethical health and beauty products, and managed its change programme across 52 countries. In 2009, he set up the national redundancy coaching service, Rework, for the UK industry charity, Retail Trust. Patrick spent his earlier career with ACWL Group, one of the pioneering UK Apple Centres, where he was a divisional Director.
He holds an MA in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, is a Visiting Lecturer for Brighton Business School, a Fellow of the RSA and coach for social enterprise incubator On Purpose.

Max Isaac

Max is the CEO of 3Circle Partners. He brings a depth of knowledge and experience from his career in general management and consulting in North America, England, Europe and Asia.
Max has assisted CEOs and senior leaders within client organizations with the design and implementation of Interaction Planning processes, team based organizational development programs and Lean Six Sigma initiatives.
Prior to moving into the field of organizational development, Max was the CFO for the Retail Division within The Molson’s Organization, where he took a lead role in growing the business to over $1 billion in revenues, doubling its size in four years through acquisitions and internal growth.
Max is co-author of Close The Interaction Gap, The Third Circle – Interactions That Drive Results, Setting Teams Up for Success and A Guide to Team Roles. He is also the contributing author of the Organizational Change sections of Mike George’s books Lean Six Sigma published in May 2002 and Lean Six Sigma for Service published in June 2003. Max is a registered CPA, CA in Canada. His undergraduate degree was earned at Witwatersrand University, South Africa.